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Post by Raven8 on Feb 13, 2020 20:55:17 GMT -8
So here it was.
He'd thought long and hard about this, but options were scarse at best by this point. Basically everyne had been taken out, and it was obvious that something big was just over the horizon. Trap or not, this was a risk that had to be taken. The map shown by Rosso had a very specific address; a location hidden away in a manner not unlike his own hideout, yet also fundamentally different in some way. It took time to find despite knowing the exact location. But, in the end, he'd found it. At this point not much could be said, but he entered the network with the barrels of his wrist-cannons extended, ready to fight back if the need should arise.
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Post by Zane on Feb 14, 2020 3:23:50 GMT -8
The Armored Destroyer had quite a time arriving even with the specific information given. The network that he managed to arrive to at first seemed like double-doors that was on the ground, hidden out of sight and out of mind on an isolated island among several in Creamland. They slid open as he approached, closing behind him to reveal a corridor. It was long corridor that was lit even though it was clearly going underground, leading down a longer passage as the alert Navi was able to proceed without being attacked. And at the end of the corridor another double-door that slid open, revealing a room that had a terminal inside that was active.
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Post by Raven8 on Feb 16, 2020 19:47:00 GMT -8
This was not what was expected of this entire scenario. Still cautious, the destroyer silently moves into position and looks at the terminal The room gave way to no deeper secrets at this point, but perhaps answers could still be found.
Looking over the data, the destroyer accesses the terminal and begins to see what he can find, doing his best to not give his location away as he does so.
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Post by Zane on Feb 17, 2020 10:47:29 GMT -8
At the terminal, there was some information, though it appeared like it was coordinates of some kind. But the numbers used to display it were strange, differing from the norm and as a result, making it difficult to discern where exactly it was listing. But the other thing he could access on the terminal looked to be a sort of transportation. Wherever that would lead to could be anyone's guess now, and up to the Armored Destroyer to find out if he so desired.
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Post by Raven8 on Feb 24, 2020 11:26:50 GMT -8
A rock and a hard place. Is this the place, or does it lead to the real place? No warning had been given, and Rosso voiced his willingness to hang at least a few of his hopes on the nameless Navi, so this had to be a part of it all. Never one to trust, and never one to rely on anything beyond his own circle, now had to be the time to place a bit of trust in hopes that it doesn't all back-fire.
With a deep breath, the nameless Navi accesses the terminal's destination.
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Post by Zane on Feb 24, 2020 12:18:20 GMT -8
When the nameless one accessed the terminal, it sent him to the destination in question. At first it was dark, but the area lit up to reveal a very spacious area around him. It gave him a grasp on the rest after he walked around from door to door, able to house hundreds, even thousands without issue. And that the space here felt different the entire time. Not foreign, but something that he just didn't feel too often... but probably more frequently in Electopia? They more frequently manipulated the atmosphere and such there, in this case the sense of gravity being what was off. Eventually he would see why that was when he found a large glass window to peer through... unveiling that the gravity was different because he was high up in the air.
Or perhaps air wasn't quite the word for it. Because were he not in the confines of his new destination, there would be none, as even the clouds that would bloat the sky couldn't be considered specks for him now.
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Post by Raven8 on Feb 24, 2020 17:41:42 GMT -8
...why is this place? The size, the view, the nature.... everything is off, foreboding, and downright unnerving. If someplace like this is abandoned, just what resources did this group have hidden away? And more importantly...
The destroyer walks up to the window and looks out. Before him are the networks of the world laid out as if they were on the earth itself. Typical of humanity to set up this world in such a way. Even the stars in the distance map to the same patterns and constellations. Here the cosmos could be changed with a simple edit of a few lines of code, yet in the real world no force at man's disposal could change them. The nameless Navi's eyes scan the horizon in silence, finally landing on a black void amid the shining stars to think about this situation. Not too long ago everything was normal. His mission was paramount, and all would be held at arm's length. It had been a simple formula to follow, and he'd become good at it. But now? Now he was forced to drop that shield, to actually reveal a bit of himself. From his initial gamble with Genesis against Rosso to this very moment, this strange contrast brought on the world was creating strange bedfellows across the net, and it showed no sign of changing. This network; this strange network was proof of the scale of their plans, and the view here showed the scope. He had no proof himself, but his mind had already come to one very important fact:
The coming hours would change the fate of all that he'd ever known.
Now locked on course, the Navi turns away from the sight below and leaves the network. It was now time to do what he'd always done best....
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Post by Genesis on Jul 11, 2021 22:07:39 GMT -8
*Certainly, arriving here was strange enough. Accessing the terminal to then see what equated to nonsensical numbers was another. Was it using a different method of locating something? ...How curious. At the very least it wasn't in any method that he was personally aware of, leading to him to deem it just a nonsensical string of numbers. But they had to have meaning, otherwise they wouldn't just be strung together as they were. He could have accessed the transportation during this, but was at this point making sure to keep the numbers in mind and stored away for later. Maybe they would coincide at least somewhat closely to a method he hadn't yet considered and they could use that to at discern where this was trying to direct them to.*
"I was expecting to have even further questions after we were done here, but at the very least I was hoping it would be after we arrived proper, not before. How grand of a scale do they truly operate on?"
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Post by Gaia on Jul 12, 2021 10:22:11 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/182286591325110283/414432031947227148/Van~png
Vanguard.EXE
He appeared alongside Mistair and Centurion in the space alongside Genesis and Armiger. The location felt a little . . . off, like it was almost a mistake that they were able to make it here to begin with. It was obscure and obfuscated, almost like . . . no, that couldn't be it.
Vanguard pushed those thoughts aside as he joined Genesis at the console, looking around at the strange space and noticing the long string of numbers. They were like coordinates, but they used a different algorithm and organizational system than typical coordinates of longitude and latitude. Vanguard found himself studying the numbers, trying to make sense of them, tracking the information through his own systems to see if he could figure out what exactly it was trying to track.
He was a bit distracted, though. His mind raced with the implications of coming to Creamland, wondering if this would lead them to where he expected it to. Afterall, Creamland was where his first mission underneath Var was completed. He had halted the reconstruction of the castle under his master's orders, for reasons he was still unsure of. The power he held now was so different from then, but, that was also before he had been properly trained by Var.
So much had changed since then . . . was it fate, then, that led him back here, with Var, or was that just coincidence?
Did such a thing even exist anymore? He looked back at Mistair, his gaze as sharp as ever yet clouded by the uncertainty of their location and what was to follow. Would they be able to prevent their execution? He wondered if she or Genesis could see the thoughts wandering along in his eyes.
He shook his head to clear those thoughts, out, too, looking back at the console and the means for transportation. With all of them present, the only one missing was Var, and he would presumably be able to come of his own volition when he was ready. "Let's see where this takes us, then. If we get there before Var can show up, we may be able to get a feel of the area and figure out a strategy.
"I'd like to figure out what location this is calculating, but we may just have to worry about that at a later time. We don't have much of that right now."
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Post by Zane on Jul 12, 2021 12:26:27 GMT -8
This location wasn't something that should be in Creamland she felt. ...Was it another product of Juno's handiwork, then? This eerie feeling did align with it in a way, but not exactly. Rather than solely be the results of his doing, his ability rather, it had another touch added to it. She imagined they all had the numbers in mind, but for once she had moved on the battle strategy part sooner this time than lingering on it. After all while each of the Kings had never truly tipped their hands to Vanguard, he was still the one who would know them best. And the only way she could think of to help assuage his fears of failing against his master here would be to help him think through it himself. She was able to motivate him, but he would have to face through his fears to properly move past them.
"What can you tell us about Var's approach? He's a paragon of war so it's unlikely he sticks strictly to one method alone, but you have the most experience with it directly."
Assuming he couldn't just use his power to destroy their destination, they could also use the terrain to contribute to their efforts. But then that would depend on how much of war did Var truly control, wouldn't it? If it was truly all aspects, then he could keep himself from destroying what he wanted without an issue. She would pose the question to let him stew on those thoughts as she would activate the transporter to move them.
At first it was dark, but the area lit up to reveal a very spacious area around them that they arrived in. It gave them a grasp on the rest as there was door after door as they moved around, able to house thousands without issue. The space here felt manufactured and artificial, a manipulated atmosphere for those inside of it. But that would be when they would be able to spot the large glass window that the Destroyer had peered through once before to discover the truth of their location. And as the world below them appeared grand yet small at the same time, she could feel a rush of fleeting emotions all her own. They were brief and passed by without her being able to make heads or tails of them, but she placed a hand to her head all the same. ...Even if this battle went well for them, this couldn't end well. Why was this the safe haven?
And the rumbling they could hear in the distance did little to make her feel less concerned about what was going to come next. The meaning behind Var's words for why they listened to Vanguard to depart in the first place: "I only need to keep you in Sharo to fulfill your execution."
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Post by Gaia on Jul 12, 2021 13:33:42 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/182286591325110283/414432031947227148/Van~png
Vanguard.EXE
Mistair stepped up to him and forced him to focus on her stare, taking the worry of the numbers away from them by pressing the button to engage the transportation. He considered Mistair's question, knowing that she was trying to get him to do what he did best - use information, analyze it, and distribute it to determine a strategy for victory - but couldn't focus on the question for long before, suddenly, the expanse of space was all around them.
That had a two-fold meaning. The room around them was large, incredibly so, and surrounded on all sides by doors, with only one portion of the wall not having a door on it. Instead, it had a large glass window, and on the other side . . . the final frontier, space itself, gleaming back at them as a mixture of an unknown void dotted with stars, gasses, and the wonders of the cosmos made clear. All that time ago, that incredible dark point that the Destroyer had viewed seemed now to be closer, creating a speck of black darker than any other out in the great unknown.
Vanguard staggered, suddenly unable to keep himself up, as he took a knee, humbled by the reality of it all. The rumbling sound that came from around them gave him the last confirmation that he needed, realizing that the scope of all of this was so much grander than what they had come to so far. He had always guessed that it was bigger, but he had no way of knowing it was this big. He looked up at Mistair, seeing her own face full of emotions, and glanced around at Genesis to see his reaction.
He had put it together in Sharo, when Var said that Faith's means of connecting here wouldn't suffice, and it finally made sense to him why this place felt wrong. They weren't in some Network gazing out of a camera lens or video screen at Earth below and the cosmos beyond; somehow, this was a physical location in the real world connected by a route that the Net could transport them to. They were really in outerspace, gazing down at the Earth beneath them.
Faith wouldn't be able to transport herself here because her Net persona would lose connection, and because her physical body needed to be able to make the journey as well. It was a remainder of something that Juno had once done, but much stronger, with some other twist added to it - merging of the Net and the real world, but only in certain parts. So well hidden, there was no way anyone would find this by mistake . . .
. . . and if this was the safe haven, then the other part of his assumption was true, as well. Certain parts of the Net were about to be completely eradicated. The note that they only needed to be kept in Sharo meant that Sharo as a Network was on the list, but the note that there were few locations outside of its range implied that other Networks were on the list. They couldn't possibly have guessed that it also meant the real world at large.
His mind was racing, but he knew each second he spent following this rabbit hole deeper was one second they didn't get to discuss Var's tactics. Of all the Reaverkings, he was the one he was most familiar with - it was his style of combat that informed Vanguard's progression forward, as incredible versatility was necessary to deal with him.
". . . We don't have time to worry about what all of this means." He said it simply, and stood up, looking about the room to get a feel for the terrain. It was vast, expansive, giving them plenty of room to move around in. The space was flat and plain, like a basic network, and the most dangerous concern - the space being destroyed by their fighting - would be cancelled out by Var's mastery.
Then, he turned his gaze back at Mistair and Genesis, holding Centurion in his hand for a moment before he sighed. "And Centurion is more of a detriment than he is of help, unfortunately." Before the Navi Weapon could argue, he reduced Centurion to his Navi crest and stored him away, for all of their safety.
"Var is an inexhaustible self-sustaining engine of war. Any other engine would exhaust its input in order to create its output, but in Var's case the two are one in the same - war fuels him, and battle naturally incites that fuel.
"He fully controls multiple aspects of war. His body is split at the point of his arms; one, the set of blades, acts as his instrument of destruction, and channels the power of strife. The other, which looks like a normal hand, is its opposite, and can absorb and cancel out offensives.
"The longer the battle goes on, the more powerful Var becomes. Being able to defeat him quickly is of incredible importance, as he will not run out of resources as fast as we will, and he surely won't lose power in the process.
"Var is an interesting combatant in that he doesn't just control his resources, but yours as well. All engaged in battle must heed to his command, or suffer consequences. In training, he called these commands "Treaties," and they enable him to control our actions by dictating how battle can be performed. You are under no obligation to follow the commands he sets, but failure to do so causes backlash; as he is in command of the battle, refusal to obey his desires for it causes detriment.
"The most powerful of his commands is his Ceasefire. It acts as a damage buffer, preventing him harm, and is quite powerful, but any attempt to bypass that defensive measure instead results in self-harm or the harm of someone else. While engaged in battle with Var, your own power can be used against you, because it is a facet of war at his disposal.
"I know that I haven't seen all that he is capable of, especially not with the power he has garnered since our training, but that is what I know of him."
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Post by Raven8 on Jul 12, 2021 13:35:02 GMT -8
A flash of light and another Navi appears, taking form with familiar purple armor. One arm and leg are obviously damaged and hastily attached, but still operational and in the process of self-repairing. He scans his eyes across the room with a stone face, looks out of the main window, and takes his place on the sidelines of the cold, mechanical room. At this point it was little more than waiting on the inevitable.
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Post by Genesis on Jul 12, 2021 14:30:50 GMT -8
*He could understand Vanguard's concerns about this opponent. Defeating someone who gave you everything was difficult to say the least. The student surpassing the master was only possible when the student had found their own way. Had Vanguard managed to do exactly that? Well, that was for him to find out. But he was taken away from that as soon as they arrived and light began to illuminate exactly what this was. Even his own stoic expression was stricken by shock as it slowly began to dawn on him more and more what this was. His thoughts had raced quickly, from thinking this meant that they were in the space of their network, not unlike New Life's ascent before to the Galaxy Network. One could rationalize that New Life had been shot down due to them having something this high up that had gone unattended. But the angle would have been off unless this... contraption could also move on top of everything else it stood for. No, that was another tool they had at their disposal and this was for the task that was now officially at hand. Faith being unable to accompany them was due in part to her human limitations and the fact that this was certainly the definition of "a poor connection" for her to establish. He covered his mouth in quiet contemplation and realization as the Armored Destroyer arrived exactly why it was so prevalent he get it to as many Navis as he could in the time he had left.*
"And they already have the tools to weaponize this attack in force."
*The only flaw the Life Virus had before was that it needed to reach the proper elevation. It was already there now. Alpha and the three Cybeasts with their properties, especially Pandemic's? Let alone with the force of this weapon and everything else that was gathered, it was mistaken to say that the attack could be stopped. No, if they were allowed to take safety here it meant that it was already a foregone conclusion that the attack was already prepared to be unleashed. What would be left? What would they go back to? ...What could they go back to? These were questions he had no answers to, ones he never had to consider. Before all such attacks would have fallen flat in their attempts because they could halt them with their continued efforts. This one? This one was too late. The rumbling that began was just a formality to let them know they would be allowed a front row seat to the calamity that was now in store. Was this why that annoying sibling of his always prattled on about how even if he was allowed the same tools as him, the view that they could see from it would always be different? That the day he was this close to it would be celebrated for such a different reason than he would have desired?*
"Tch..."
*He clenched his fist and breathed in and out, aiming to calm himself. It wasn't over yet, not entirely. He knew this and would be able to confirm it after they were done here. For now he would focus on exactly that, turning his attention to Vanguard to think about what Var was capable of as the pupil was correct: further worrying on anything else had become meaningless now. Var wasn't the first perpetual engine he could think of after his meeting with Turbine, but exceeding Var's output was the more difficult part. If one reasoned that the more intense the battle, the more powerful his engine, he was easily one of the most capable war engines around when one considered that their usual answer to their enemies was to simply hit it harder. As he knew could fail in certain cases as with Eon, the same applied with Var here, exemplified by the Treaties that he could use. Violation of a ceasefire was terms for the repercussions of that action, which made sense and the fact that his one arm was not a tool of destruction had clued him in that it was more often used to stave off destruction instead. ...They had been created to supersede war in all of its facets, had they not? Facing its avatar could serve as no further proof of such to say the least. And at least now he could say they weren't going to be held down by others who failed to understand the fundamentals of a battle, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he began thinking of how they would approach from here.*
"If Var's any bit as agile as Deav, I can see why you've had your fair share of difficulty with him in the past. Faith would be helpful but ultimately probably a bit on the slow startup as well. The Destroyer being in recovery is good here then. He can't exactly halt his bypasses unless he learned a new trick."
*In fact every single blow from him was its own bypass. Var could utilize aspects beyond mere destructive power due to covering war itself. And war had many ways to be done. He could lead the Four Reaverkings because he could accomplish what any of their singular Kings could: be it Famine, Pestilence, or Death. He at least had a decent viewing of that particular potential already. But there had to be another reason that he was chosen besides leadership and his Swiss-army knife potential, something they would have to learn for themselves as he kept his eyes on the Earth below them.*
"I doubt I can do him in immediately either, so we're forced partially into attrition from the onset of this battle. But before we begin, make certain you clear the air with him first. Seeing as we have a front row seat to Armageddon, we may as well ask one of its harbingers what we can."
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Post by Zane on Jul 12, 2021 15:30:15 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/340189121500938240/841390153762865193/1000~png She felt bad that Centurion wasn't allowed any say in the matter, but Vanguard wouldn't have made that call and just cast him aside if not for the belief that his presence was only a detriment to them. And it would make sense with his particular set and method of function why exactly that was against Var, the voice of the very same titular being sounding out throughout the room.
"The final frontier, as it has always been called. For more reasons than one."
He phased in out of thin air, almost as if he was already standing there. Similar to the somewhat humanoid Reaverbots that had their arms and legs attached at the same joint, the unnamed Sharukurusu, the differences were plentiful from there. For his head was a singular spike pointing upward with two black pea-sized holes near the tip, but no visible eye like the others were possessed of here. His torso in the shape of a bulky reverse triangle that formed a half-crown for the spiked point of his head, two black holes adorned near this crown before there was a long black horizontal line across the length of his torso with five vertical lines lined up next to each other down the middle. The horizontal line leads into the circular shoulder joints that were similar to that of his leg joints that each had a similar hole as the rest in them. From there the arms and legs would extend out, but both would possess a similar black orb that would serve the function that elbows or knees would before leading into the rest of the limbs. For the legs they would end with an elongated tip pointing upward, while his left arm was larger than his right and also possessed the Reaver's Eye there as well. He was all red in color save for that arm and the aforementioned difference, the arm taking on a blue sheen instead and had the appearance of a hand instead of the four blades that stood for his right arm and his primary instrument of destruction. The sheer presence this one possessed was positively different from the others any had seen before. Vanguard had prior experience with it, but even that paled in comparison to the Harbinger that stood before him now. In the past it was easy to compare Deav to his standing, perhaps even interchangeable with one another on which of the Four Reaverkings stood tallest among them. But after having fought Deav and with Vanguard, Mistair, Armiger, and Centurion with Vamin as well, it was easy for them to say that without a shadow of a doubt the gap between the two was vast enough for there to be no comparison. He who brought with him the shadow of war: Var. The telltale eye of the Reavers let off a crimson glow for him, and Vanguard's own felt like it was burning, as if it was fighting against whatever left it inert to spring to life once again.
"You likely wonder how this place would have gone unnoticed with where it is. It's a simple matter of the unique nature of this Weapon. It exists within reality and the net, but exists in neither at the same time. The paradox that sets it in-between allows it to perform as required while eluding detection due to there being nothing to detect at all. And as a result, the human with you would not make it here."
He wasn't roundabout as he was before. And as he finished they would be able to see the exact moment this Weapon they sat within fired. They would be able to spot two other lights take place, another out in the reaches of space not unlike this... and another vibrant one down on the very planet this weapon was being unleashed upon. As they might have feared at this point: this wasn't the only weapon they had that possessed such destructive power as to rip their world asunder and turn it literally inside out: they had the resources to have several, of which they could know that three were used all at once from three different points. Being able to make out the specifics of what was happening to their world at this moment was hard to discern from their distance, but one thing was never in doubt about the entire ordeal: it was something that would irrevocably change everything they once knew in its wake.
"But this decimation was still only the first step of their grand design. From the light cast down with the shadows removed, you all will be able to see the second phase of their operation begin. Though even here I'm not at liberty to speak of it. And despite what you may see here, the planet itself isn't exactly gone either."
They would see the once blue sphere they called Earth begin to turn orange and red. Even from here they could make out that while both sides were being influenced differently, the various codes that made up everything was being unraveled and decimated. A thorough razing that outright destroyed, reprogrammed, or infected and corrupted the grand web of their world the speed of which was comparable to seeing a smoothie being made in a blender.
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Post by Gaia on Jul 12, 2021 17:04:06 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/182286591325110283/414432031947227148/Van~png
Vanguard.EXE
And so he had arrived, explaining the nature of this place to them. So, it was as Vanguard thought - this place existed just as the Garden used to, a place within the Net and without, and yet in neither at the same time. The power to make either truths into lies or falsehoods into truths would have been powerful on their own, but the ability to do both as was Juno's power allowed him to create paradoxes if done correctly.
It was then that the light show began, and the realization of their preparation and power broadened. Another satellite, in the distance, and a force on Earth itself, lit up, and the destruction spread like fire set to dry tinder. Different forces unleashed upon the Net and the real world alike, the world churning between colors as the different marks that Vanguard went through in his mind took their toll on the Net and the Earth below. The Life Virus from Electopia, the Cybeasts from within the NIA itself, Pandemic, even threats that Vanguard wasn't aware of that had been captured and now unleashed at their prime to execute their ultimate directive . . . destruction.
The words that came from Var next barely made any sense to him, watching this unfold. He was speechless, the only sensations he knew the thrumming of his heart in his chest and the burning of the eye in his skull. How? How could this only be the first step? How had they been so prepared, so overwhelmingly powerful, to have pushed them to this step, to accomplish what countless before them had failed at, and this was only their first step?
What shadows were removed, that would unveil what came next? Was Juno's power being used to keep the planet from destruction, or was something else at work entirely? What incredible decimation . . .
He clenched his hand, just as Genesis had, and forced himself to breathe again, realizing that he had unconsciously slumped himself onto Mistair at some point for support. Vanguard pulled himself up, mastered his breathing, and pulled his gaze away from armageddon beneath them to focus his gaze on Var. "There is so much to unravel, so many questions, and I'm not entirely sure where to start, or how much time we have before your duties must be visited upon," he said in a blur, speaking from one breath as though afraid that if he stopped to breathe it just wouldn't come through. It was hard to ignore what was going on behind him, the glow of it cast upon the otherwise featureless room, but he was determined to steel himself. He focused on his breathing for a moment, and closed his one eye, his Reaver Eye refusing to respond to his body's commands, and so remained open.
He remembered all the questions he had once asked Rosso, expecting him to avoid the questions. All of those questions had been so short sighted, and so much had happened since then that he wasn't sure if those questions were the right ones to ask. He looked at Mistair, asking silently for support, and then at Genesis, wondering if they would agree on the pressing matters.
If Var couldn't speak on what came next, for their second phase, then perhaps he could speak to what they had gone through thus far.
". . . What happened to Juno? When Reaverbots suddenly started appearing in Electopia, I began asking that question, especially when considering the force with which they came in. I was suspecting of many things while in the NIA, and more questions were given than answered when I first encountered Vamin and then Deav. Why are the Reaver Kings answering to these new allied forces? Why has my Reaver Eye been inactive except around the Kings, yet even then still struggling to remain active? Can you finally tell me what your relation with Juno was, after all this time, and why I needed to be given this eye?
"Just . . . why?!" The questions were difficult to think of, at first, but suddenly they all started pouring out. How many times within that Garden, only to one day be denied access to it, without any warning to the matter aside from his last order being to train and gather power on his own? How frustrated he had been to meet Vamin and recognize that it wasn't just the Reaverbots but the Kings themselves now commanded by another, with no notice to him about any changes in orders? He realized that these questions were out of frustration, but they were still important questions.
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